Maths

At Saint Aidan’s we aim to stimulate, develop and maintain every student’s curiosity, interest and enjoyment in mathematics. We aim to maximise their mathematical potential at GCSE and prepare them all for Mathematics at A level or for life and work outside of education.

Key Stage 3

At Key Stage 3 students are taught in sets according to their ability. The setting is designed so that all youngsters are challenged at an appropriate level towards gaining as high a grade as possible at the end of each year. In Year 7 the highest achievers at Key Stage 2 will find themselves in a top set of around 32 students, those achieving at or around the national average at Key Stage 2 will begin in a set 2 of around 30 students and those that have found mathematics more challenging at Key Stage 2 will start off in a set 3 of around 23 students. Regular assessments every half term will decide whether movement between sets is necessary throughout the three years of Key Stage 3.

All students will have three lessons of Mathematics each week at Key Stage 3. Lessons are all taught by highly experienced mathematics specialist teachers and consist of a variety of learning styles and approaches. Typically lessons in mathematics utilise the use of technology (such as tablets and interactive whiteboards), involve the students in paired work (including card sorts and Kagan structures) and also contain periods of more traditional individualised learning using textbooks and worksheets to ensure that students are well practised in the mathematics they have been taught. Homework will be set twice every week, one written homework of around 30minutes in length and one homework on MyMaths (an individualised computer based software package).

At the end of each year at Key Stage 3, students sit two written exams to assess their progress during the year and a mental arithmetic exam to assess their overall level of numeracy. These exams are reflective of the types of skills required at GCSE.

Key Stage 4

All Year 10 and 11 students follow the AQA GAQA GCSE MathsCSE Mathematics Specification. This can be downloaded, using the link below:-

Students have four hours of Mathematics each week. The course is 100% examination and assesses the students’ abilities in:

Number

Geometry and measures

Algebra

Statistics

Ratio, proportion and rates of change

Probability

Quite often the topic areas above (and the four lessons) will be split between two mathematics teachers who will set one written homework each a week of around 30 minutes in length. Students are again setted according to their ability with some sets following a Higher Scheme of learning whilst others following a Foundation scheme. Ultimately students will be entered for Higher Tier exams if they are aiming for grades 6 to 9 and Foundation Tier exams if they are aiming for grade 4 to 5. All students will sit internal exams in November and March of Year 10 and November and March of Year 11. These exams will be used as the best evidence for deciding which tier is most suitable for each student.

The final GCSE exams are as follows:

Mathematics Paper 1 (non-calculator)

1 hour 30 minutes

Mathematics Paper 2 (calculator)

1 hour 30 minutes

Mathematics Paper 3 (calculator)

1 hour 30 minutes

GCSE Mathematics results at Saint Aidan’s have consistently been high over the years and we put a lot of effort into ensuring that all students are appropriately challenged at the correct level. For that reason, with the advent of the new more difficult GCSE, we are now offering a “Certificate in Entry Level Mathematics” to all our lower ability students at Key Stage 4. They will still sit the GCSE exams described above but hopefully this dual entry will ensure that everyone leaves Saint Aidan’s with at least one qualification in mathematics.

Enrichment

Throughout their time at Saint Aidan’s students are encouraged to become investigative problem solvers and many ofmaths Challenge our high achieving students gain certification in the UKMT Maths Challenges at both Junior (Year 7 & 8) and Intermediate (Year 10 & 11) levels.

On an entirely different front those students who are struggling to achieve national standards during Key Stage 3 are often offered regular extra numeracy intervention classes with a specialist mathematics teacher. These have proved extremely popular and successful over the years.